CLARION, Pa. – Third-ranked IUP men's basketball battled back from a five-point halftime deficit, eventually taking control and pulling away for a 77-60 triumph against Concord on Saturday afternoon at Clarion's Tippin Gymnasium.
IUP (1-0) placed three in double figures in the opening game of the Clarion Tip-Off Classic. , which included a game-high 21 points from
Shawndale Jones.
Dave Morris notched 15 points and five assists, while
Tomiwa Sulaiman picked up 15 points and six rebounds in the post.
The Crimson Hawks shot 56.6% from the floor in the second half and picked up nine steals on the day. Jones swiped three steals with Sulaiman and
Kyle Polce adding two each.
Lual Rhama posted 13 points for Concord (0-1) and JJ Harper added 13 points and seven rebounds. The Mountain Lions canned just three shots from beyond the arc, shooting 14.3% from long range on the day.
Concord zipped ahead 20-13 in the opening half with a quick run, responding with another spurt after IUP worked the score tied twice at 21-21 and 25-25. A jumper from Morris brought IUP to within 35-30 at the break.
The Crimson Hawks stormed out of the gates in the second half, using an 8-0 run to turn its five point deficit into a 38-35 lead. Jones capped a fastbreak layup off a steal and feed from Sulaiman before a pair of
Ethan Porterfield foul shots vaulted IUP back in front at the 18:05 mark.
Ethan Heller provided Concord its final lead of the contest with a triple and a 42-40 advantage with 16:28 remaining. The Crimson Hawks eventually stretched their lead to double digits with an and-one layup from Jones at 11:24. Sulaiman stepped beyond the arc, lining up a triple for a 62-46 edge just beyond the midway point of the second half.
The Mountain Lions would not get closer than 16 the rest of the way. IUP held a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers with the starting lineup carrying the offensive burden.
Dallis Dillard logged eight points, while Porterfield had nine.
UP NEXT
IUP is back for a short turnaround, facing Winston-Salem State on Sunday, November 13 at 1:00 p.m.
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